Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-19
FRUIT FAMINE.
Canned Goods i'm Demand
i'm the East.
BUT CANNOT BE OBTAINED.
Commission Men Depending OH
California Produce to Sup
ply the Market.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

| Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALp.I
CHICAGO, ILL.,, Aug. 1S.-The Tri-
bune this morning says: Fruit
dealers have been placed in an un-
precedented situation. Except in Cali
fornia the fruit crops throughout the
country have virtually been ruined.
In Chicago, as elsewhere, the stock of
dried and preserved goods is about
exhausted, and owing to the scarcity
of labor on the Pacific Coast cannot be
replaced, although wholesale prices
here have risen from 10 to Is per
cent.
CANNED GOODS.
Canned goods, especially fruits, are,
apparently, to retail during the win
ter at about 30 per cent. above pri ces
of the year previous. According to
the Tribune the increase of 25 per
cent. to California's last years p ack,
will not be enough to prevent the
threatened famine in the East.
THE UNSETTLED CONDITION.
There is no branch of trade in Chi
cago to-day that is in a more feverish
and unsettled condition than canned
goods. 1t became evident over
month ago that the packs of certain
kinds of fruits such as cherries, straw
berries and currants would probably
be light, the yield in very few places
east OF the Mississippi river having
exceeded the ordinary demand for
fresh fruit.
LOOKING TO THE OTHER CROPS.
Berry after berry disappointed the
growers until at last hopes were con-
fined in this part of the country to the
grape, peach and apple crops. Now
it is known or at least generally sup
posed that these hopes are also to be
disappointed. The East has had an
abundance of rain but it is an off year
for apples in many sections and the
yield is too small and of poor quality.
EFFECTS OF THE DRoUTH.
The grape and peach growing sec
tions of the West and South have
suffered from drouth which has ruined
the prospects of these fruits, and the
Eastern crops are not much more than
enough to supply the home demand
1t is not surprising, therefore, that
dealers in canned fruits are both active
and cautious.
AN UNEXPECTED DEMAND.
They are suddenly called upon to
face a situation which was entirely
unexpected two months ago. Then
they were lending their energies to
endeavor to enlarge their trade. Now
they are overwhelmed and dazed by u
years business condensed into the or
ders OF one month.
INCREASED DEMAND FOR FRUIT.
A salesman on the road has a good
years work. Ordinarily he takes
jobbers for $3.50 worth OF goods, but
the last month has been like a mil
lenium to him. Each man has
come home with triumph at his sue
cess in working up business and pre-
pared for compliments on the 500, 900
in orders that he has telegraphed to
his firm.
THEY CANNOT FILL THE ORDERS.
But chagrn and discontinue await
him. His house has ransacked the
country, and has sent men to the At
lantic and Pacific slopes, but they
cannot find fruit enough to fill half his
orders.
HOUSEWIVES IN FAULT.
The consumer has helped TO aggra-
vate the situation. Canned fruits
have been so cheap in late years that
many housewives resolved at the be-
ginning OF the season not to put up
the fruit. She has excused herself to
her friends with the assurance that it
did not pay to can anything when she
could buy it already canned for less
than the sugar cost.
A BOOM IN PRUNEs.
Prunes. cheap and famous substi-
tute for home fruits, are threatening
to climb to the heights now occupied
bv such luxuries as grape preserves
and raspberry jam.
DEPENDING ON CALIFORNIA.
The only patch of earth that is bet
ter off than Mother Hubbard's cup
board seems to be California, but Cal
ifornia, it is feared, will not prove
equal to the emergency. She has
fruit enough, but she is just beginning
to take care of the abundance born Of
her soil and climate. Chicago dealers
who have not California connections,
wish they had, and are making every
effort to Sacura tham now